Magnetic shuttle-guiding means



Aug. 4, 1953 B. B. PURDY MAGNETIC SHUTTLE -GUIDING MEANS Filed Oct. 10, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l ww@ m W @l T w W R f. N b \O WP T 5. T Y W E A :m

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Aug. 4, 1953 B. B. PURDY 2,647,542

MAGNETIC SHUTTLE-GUIDING MEANS Filed 0G12. 10, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /NVENTOR BRUCE BPL/Roy l looms of conventional type.

Patented ug. 195g l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MAGNETIC SHUTTLE-QUIFING MEANS Bruce B. Purdy, Appleton,` Wis., assignor lto Appleton Wire Works, Inc., Appleton, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin ,4

Application October 10, 1949, `Serial No. 120,551

11 Claims. (Cl. 139-134) The present invention relates to looms and more particularly to loom shuttles and magnetic guiding means therefor.

'-In a loom of conventional type, a slidably or rollably, supported shuttle is propelled through the warp shed, as by suitable throwing mechanism, to insert the weft which is then beaten up by the swingable reed-carrying lay. In the flight of the shuttle through the shed it is necessary Vto guide the shuttle in a path along the reed in order to insure proper operation of the loom. A `type of shuttle heretofore commonly used on wire Weaving looms, such as for weaving papermakingwire fabrics, includes skewed or tapered rollers which roll on the warp wires of the lower section of the shed and are adjusted to cause the leading end of the shuttle to engage the reed face during' the ilight of the shuttle. These supporting rollers require careful and expert adjustment to suit the particular loom on which the shuttle is used, and readjustment is necessary if the shut# tle is to rbe used on another loom. If the shuttle is improperly adjusted, or loses its adjustment, it is likely to jump and crash through `the shed; Another known type of shuttle guiding means includes guide fingers or prongs which are projected into the shed.` However, such guide elements have a tendency to damage the warp, and in a wire-weaving loom are likely to catch on and mark the warp wires. In both types, the shuttle in its travel is subject to an erratic nosing action, which has a retarding effect on the shuttle.

It is an object of the present invention to provide anv improved loom shuttle of simple and durable construction having magnetic means adapted to exert an attractive force on the reed for reliably guiding the shuttle in a smooth true course along the reed.

Another object is to provide a magnetic shuttle of this character having reed-engaging rollers to minimize friction during the flight of the shuttle and to resist jumping of the shuttle.

Still another o bject is to providea magnetic shuttle having improved means forv mounting thereon a reed-attracting permanent magnet.

A further object is to provide for magnetic guiding of the shuttle at regions beyond the reed,

. and for permitting the use of reeds of different 1 lengths.

A still further object is to provide a magnetic shuttle which can readilyl be used on existing The invention further consists `in the several features hereinafter described and claimed.-

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. l isa top view of a loom lay provided with ay shuttle of the invention, the shuttle being shown in a shuttle box at an end of the lay, and parts ofthe lay being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the shuttle at the reed side thereof, parts of the reed and lay also being shown; i f

Fig. 3 is a detail top view of the shuttle as it appears `in its flight along the reed, parts being shown in section; i

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the lay in its retracted position, taken generally along the line 4-4of Fig; 4l;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the shuttle. and reed, taken generally along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the shuttle and reed, taken generally along the line 6 6 of Fig. 3;

Fig.v 7 is a transverse sectional view of the l shuttle, takenY generally along the line l--l of ried by the lay beam and is surmounted by the usual lay cap I8, Fig. 4 and 5. The reed includes the usual'spaced dents I9 in the form of parallel metal strips or plates between which the warp wires 20 extend, these strips being commonly made of steel. The lay also carries the usual shuttle board or race member 2| on which the lower warp wires -of the shed rest, the shuttle board 'beingmounted on a rock shaft 22. The usual metal shuttle boxes 23 are carried at opposite ends of the laybeam, one shuttle box being shown in Fig. 1. Each shuttle box includes a side wall 24 which extends for some distance along the lay and is aligned with the plane of the reed face. The length of the reed may vary, leaving a gap between the inner end of the shuttle box` side wa1l--24 and the adjacent end of the reed; In the present instance this gap is closed by a bridging plate 25 aligned with the plane of the reed face and the inner face of the shuttle box side wall. lBoth the plate 25 and the shuttle boxwall 24 are preferablymade of` iron or steel.

A shuttle 25 -isv movable through the Shed t0 carry the weft or shute wire 27 and at the opposite ends of its travel enters the shuttle boxes 23. The shuttle is propelled in opposite directions by any suitable mechanism, here shown to include a picker block 28 slidable in each shuttle box and urged in throwing direction by the lower end o a picker stick 29. By way Of eXample, the shuttleis shown to be of the pirn-carrying type, but it could equally well be of the pirnless or gripper type. The shuttle has an elongated boat-shaped body 30 of non-magnetic material, preferably of metal, such as aluminum or stainless steel. An upwardly opening elongated recess 3| is formed in the shuttle bodyfto receive a detachable pirn 32 on which the weft-forming wire is wound. The pirn has a squared hooked end 33 ttng in a pocket 3. at one end of the recess 3l and releasably held in operative position by spring-pressed ball detents 35. A wire guide 3E is mounted at the other end of the recess and includeslan eyebloc'k 31 and a pair of parallelconcave guidev rollers 38. The shuttle body is preferably of the slidable type and has a ii'at polished'bottom surface 39 adapted to slide over the warp wires 2,0 of the bottom section of the shed, being supported by the shuttle board 2 l.

The reed side of the shuttle body has a longitudinally extending rectangular groove or channel' 43 receiving therein one or more permanent magnets 4l, such as of the aluminum-nickelcobalt type, a suitable form or which is known as Alnico' V. By way of exarnplel two channelshaped magnets are provided and are disposed in alignment, the two magnets having a combined length extending overthe major portion of the length of the shuttle body. The upper and lower polar portions 42 and 43 of the magnets are of opposite polarity and are approximately flush with the reed side ofthe shuttle body. The magnets are secured in position by va retainer bar Afl `fitting in the aligned longitudinal grooves of the magnets, the retainer bar havingenlargernents :l at its ends and middle to confine the magnetsV against longitudinal displacement. At the enlargements 45 the retainer bar is rigidly fastened to the shuttle body, as by taperY pins 4t locked in position by wire drive pins fil. l

' Near its opposite ends and beyond the magnets ill', the Yshuttle body is provided with reed rollers il@ which are housed in Wells 49 formed in the shuttle body and project slightly from the reed side of the shuttle body to ride on the reed face and determine a small air gap. 5G between the polar portions of the magnets and the edges "of the magnetizable reed dents I9. Byway of example, the air gap may have a value ranging from about ta to 1/16-. Each reed roller inctudes a non-metallic rim portion, Jsuch as a nylon disk 5I, which has a slightly resilient cylindrical periphery engageable with the edges of the reed dents. rIa-he diameter of the roller disk is Vpreferably' relatively largey being almost as large as the width ofthe shuttle body'. rI'he roller is `preferably mounted on a ball bear-ing', Fig. 6,

vcorimrisi-ng inner and outer races l52 and 53, the

dish-5i being secured to the outer race as by pressing it thereon, and the innerI face being secured to the shuttle body by a screw 5t. Washers 35 are disposed betweeny the ends of the inner race and the parallel side walls of the roller well.

The center of magnetic attraction, which is about midway between the polar portions i2v and 43 of the magnets, is at approximatelyA the same l elevation as the centers of contact between the reed rollers and the reed face. In some instances it is desirable to have the centers of the roller contacts slightly lower than the magnetic center, as shown, the effect being to reduce the downward pressure of the shuttle at the side thereof distant frein the reed.

In the modiiied form of magnet mounting shown in Fig. 9, the spaced adjacent ends of the aligned channel-shaped permanent magnets il are secured in the recess di! of the shuttle body 313, b5. l ASQlevv 4&1". The remote ends of the magnets are similarly secured by other screws, not Shown.

inthe operation of the loom, the shuttle 26 is thrown through the shed by the picker block 23 and lays the weft in the shed. As the shuttle leaves the shuttle box the rollers 48 ride on the magnetizable iron side wall 24 of the shuttle `box and on the magnotizable iron bridging plate 2li, the shuttle magnets holding the shuttle in a smooth course along this wall and plate. After the shuttle in its light reaches the reed, the rollers it ride on the reed face and the shuttle magnets exert a magnetic attraction on lthe reed dents and hold the shuttle in a smooth true course alongthe reed, even though the lower section of the Warp shed may slope from the reed toward the face of the wor-k. The location of the magnetic flux in the reed dents is shown by dotted flux lines in Fig. 5. As the. opposite polar portions of the permanent magnets are arranged one above the other, the magnetic flux extends in the vertical planes of: the reed dents, and the only air gaps are between the edges of the reed dents and vthe polarportions of the magnets. With the centers of the wheel contacts slightly below the center of magnetic attraction, as shown, there will be a tendency to reduce the downward contact pressure of the side portion of the shuttle remote from the reed. The reed rollers reduce the frictional contact with the reed Yface so as to minimize deceleration of the shuttle. However, the engagement between the reed rollers and the reed face resists vertical displacement of the shuttle and effectively prevents jumping of the shuttle. The magnetically guided shuttle is thus prevented from running wild and crashing through the shed. At the end of its travel the shuttle smoothly enters. the other shuttie boxwhere it is brought to a stop by any conventional braking means, not showin. The inserted weft is then beaten up by the swingable lay. and the shuttle thrown on a return weftlaying flight, whereupon the cycle of operation is repeated.

The elongated permanent magnets may be somewhat brittle, but if either magnet should break the broken sections will ,be rmly held in the shuttle by the retainer bar 14.

While the reed-attracting magnets are shown to be applied to a shuttle ofthe slidably supported type, they may also be used on reliably supported shuttles. The shuttle disclosed is propelled through the shed opposite directions, but the invention is also applicable toy shuttles which are propelled through the shed in one direction and returned to picking position outside the shed. The latter shuttles` are commonly of the pirnless or gripper type and are. usually somewhat smaller and lighter than pirnftype shuttles. The magnetic shuttle of the invention can be used on various types ot looms and is not limited to wire-weaving looms. In textile looms the lay isv usually pivoted at its lower end,

as is well understood in this art. In many types of looms the shuttle boxes are carried on the lay, while in certain other looms the shuttle boxes are stationary.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a loom shuttle adapted to travel along a lay having a reed of magnetizable material, a shuttle body, a permanent magnet carried by said shuttle body and having polar portions adjacent to the reed side of said body for magnetically holding the shuttle in a course along the reed, and rollers carried by said shuttle body and adapted to ride on the face of the reed to prevent Contact between said polar portions and the face of the reed.

2. In a loom shuttle adapted to travel along a lay having a reed of magnetizable material, a shuttle body, and a permanent magnet carried by said shuttle body and having polar portions of opposite polarity adjacent to the reed side ol said body for magnetically holding the shuttle in a course along the reed, said magnet being in the form of a channel member extending along the shuttle body and having spaced flanges forming said polar portions.

3. In a loom shuttle adapted to travel along a lay having a reed of magnetizable material, a shuttle body, and permanent magnet means carried by said shuttle body and having polar portions adjacent to the reed side of said body for magnetically holding said shuttle in a course along the reed face, said magnet means extending along the major portion of the length of the shuttle body, and said polar portions being of opposite polarity and arranged one above the other.

4. In a loom shuttle adapted to travel along a lay having a reed of magnetizable material, a shuttle body, a permanent magnet carried by said shuttle body and having polar portions adjacent to the reed side of said body for ma' netically holding the shuttle in a course along the reed face, and rollers carried by said shuttle body adjacent to the opposite ends thereof and adapted to ride on the face of the reed, said rollers determining an air gap between said polar portions and the reed face.

5. In a loom shuttle adapted to travel along a lay having a reed of magnetizable material, a permanent magnet carried by said shuttle body and having polar portions adjacent to the reed side of said body for magnetically holding the shuttle in a course along the reed face, and rollers carried by said shuttle body adjacent 'to the opposite ends thereof and adapted to ride on the face of the reed, said rollers having a reedcontacting region at approximately the same elevation as the center of magnetic attraction.

6. In a loom shuttle adapted to travel along a lay having a reed of magnetizable material, a shuttle body, and a permanent magnet carried by said shuttle body and having upper and CTL lower polar portions of opposite polarity adjacent the reed side of said body for magnetically holding the shuttle in a course along the reed face.

7. In a loom shuttle adapted to travel along a lay having a reed of magnetizable material, a magnetizable member extending from and beyond an end of said reed and having a face coplanar with the reed face, a shuttle body, and a permanent magnet carried by said shuttle body and adapted to exert an attractive force on the reed for holding the shuttle in a course along the reed face and guide member.

8. In a loom shuttle adapted to travel along a lay having a reed of magnetizable material, a shuttle body, a permanent magnet carried by said shuttle body and adapted to exert an attrac tive force on 'the reed for holding the shuttle in a course along the reed, and rollers carried by said shuttle body and each having a tread adapted to ride on the race of the reed to minimize deceleration of the shuttle and to resist jumping of the shuttle.

El. In a loom shuttle adapted to travel along a lay having a reed of magnetizable material, a shuttle body, a permanent magnet carried by said shuttle body and having upper and lower polar portions of opposite polarity adjacent to the reed side of said body for magnetically holding the shuttle in a course along the reed, and retaining means for said magnet extending between said polar portions.

10. In a loom having a lay with a magnetizable reed and a shuttle box, a magnetizable guide member extending between said shuttle box and the adjacent end of the reed and having a face coplanar with the reed face, a shuttle adapted to travel along said lay, and a permanent magnet carried by said shuttle and having polar portions at the reed side thereof adapted to be attracted toward said reed and guide member for magn netically holding the shuttle in a course along the reed face and guide member.

11. In a loom shuttle adapted to travel along a lay having a reed of magnetizable material, a .shuttle body, and a source of magnetic flux carried by said shuttle body and adapted to exert an attractive force on the reed for magnetically holding the shuttle in a course along the reed, said source including upper and lower polar portions of opposite polarity adjacent to the reed side of said body.

BRUCE B. PURDY.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 652,86@ Schmidt July 3, 1900 858,137 Atkins June 25, 199'? 2,203,568 Grondahl June 4, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 19,745 Great Britain of 1897 

